Every year, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences celebrates the last week in September as Take a Child Outside Week. Nature centers and museums across the state participate. This year, TACO Week is September 24–30. Here is a list of activities to enjoy outdoors—whether at the Gateway Nature Preserve or in your own backyard! And on October 1, come out for a nature photo safari and scavenger hunt!

Log Circle Fun

Jump or hop from log to log and see how far you can go around the log circle. Stand on a log stump and imagine you are an animal or a bird. What do you do?

Make a Fairy House

Collect twigs, pebbles, leaves, to build a house. Who might live in this house? Is it a bird? Is it a fairy? Is it a mouse? In a quiet spot, create a home where your “friend” could live.

Nature Alphabet

How many letter shapes can you find in branches, twigs, stones or other natural materials? Can you find every letter of the alphabet?

Zoom In!

Pick a natural space the size of your foot. Look very closely. Observe for a moment. What's living there? Look for animal and plant life and compare other spaces nearby.

Nature Journal

Record your exploration of the natural world. Take a look around you—what do you see? What do you hear? What interests you most? Using all your senses, write down your observations.

Falling Down

Search for objects that have fallen to the ground—leaves, branches, nuts, bird feathers. What caused these things to fall? Can you pretend you are a leaf falling to the ground in a storm?